The final phase of the Louis Vuitton Cup kicks off on Thursday 26 September in Barcelona. Luna Rossa and Ineos Britannia They are competing for the position of challenger to the defender team New Zealand in the 37th edition of the America’s Cup. In the semi-final the Italians beat American Magic (5-3), while the English eliminated Alinghi (5-2).
The winner is the first to seven victories in the 13-race series. The winner goes to the final event of the 37th America’s Cup where they will meet Emirates New Zealand, the boat that has held the Cup for the last two editions. The teams competing are the same as those from the Louis Vuitton Cup three years ago. Back then, Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli won 7 to 1.
Rules and competitions
First of all, there are weather conditions to respect: a minimum of constant wind of 6.5 knots is needed, the race is not held in storms or risky situations. Two match races are scheduled for each day of the race, starting at 2 pm.
First races are scheduled for Thursday, September 26. The following ones are scheduled for Saturday, September 29 and Sunday, September 30. The seventh and possible eighth match races arrive on Tuesday, October 1. The possible subsequent races, from the ninth to the thirteenth, are scheduled for Wednesday, October 2, Friday, October 4 and Saturday, October 5.
Tv e streaming
All the races of the challenge will be broadcasted on Sky Sport (dedicated channel 205) and free-to-air on Italia Uno. There is the possibility of following the regattas in streaming on Mediaset Infinity, Sky Go and NOW Tv. Each event is also broadcast in streaming (with territorial restrictions) on the official America’s Cup website, on its YouTube channel and on its Facebook page.
Path
The Italian team had a great start in the preliminary races and in those of the qualifying round. The first defeat came against Ineos in the round robin, followed by a disqualification against Alinghi and a new defeat against the British in the play-off match race to be the first in the round. In the semi-final they achieved four victories against American Magic who then recovered to 4 to 3. After a night spent on the boat to fix the mainsail traveler, the decisive point of 5-3 arrived. The path of the English was more up and down in the first races and then improved with the first place in the round and the semi-final won 5 to 2 with Alinghi.
Training
Luna Rossa should start the series against Ineos with: Bruni and Spithill as helmsmen, Tesei and Molineris as trimmers, Voltolini, Rosetti, Liuzzi and Gabbia as cyclors.
